


Plot Twist

by girlishhh



Category: Captain America (Movies), Marvel, Marvel Cinematic Universe
Genre: Alternate Universe - College/University, Childhood Friends, Coming Out, Drunken Confessions, Friends to Lovers, Homophobia, Jealousy, M/M, Online Dating, Roommates, but not really obviously
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-10-27
Updated: 2016-10-27
Packaged: 2018-08-27 07:12:40
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,107
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8392150
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/girlishhh/pseuds/girlishhh
Summary: The thing is, Steve is not homophobic. When Bucky came out he was happy for him and nothing was weird between them. When Bucky went on dates, Steve helped him get ready and poured him a shot before he left to calm his nerves. He’s not homophobic, but he wonders if the uncomfortable feeling in his chest is. (or the 'Straight guy worries he's being homophobic to gay roommate, realizes he's fallen in love with him' au.)





	

**Author's Note:**

> so obviously this is based on [that one article headline](http://www.gaystarnews.com/article/straight-guy-worries-hes-homophobic-gay-roommate-ends-falling-love/#gs.bXmtMSg) that kept going around on tumblr. i saw some people wanted an au based off of it, and i kind of love the idea of an overly concerned steve rogers thinking he's being homophobic when he's really just jealous. so voila, here it is.
> 
> hey, so there is now a chinese translation of this available [here](http://archiveofourown.org/works/9182218)!

Steve feels a little blind-sided when Bucky comes out to him.

They’ve been best friends since they were eleven, and Steve feels like he should’ve just known by now. It’s their second year of college, and they’re sharing an apartment together, and it’s only now that Bucky tells Steve that he’s gay.

When Bucky mentions it, more in passing than anything else, Steve almost thinks he heard it wrong. Steve is checking his phone and making his way through a bowl of cereal when Bucky opens the refrigerator, blocking his body from Steve’s eyesight, and casually goes, “So, I have a date tonight.”

Not looking up from his bowl of cereal, Steve hums in response. “Who is the lucky girl?”

From the refrigerator, Bucky takes out a carton of orange juice and reaches in the cupboard for a glass. “Uh,” he says quietly, his backed turned from Steve. “It’s actually a guy.”

“Huh?” Steve says, squinting at Bucky’s back. He feels like he must’ve heard that wrong. It’s still early, though, and Steve only got a few hours of sleep last night, so it wouldn’t be all that crazy if he’s hearing things.

Except Bucky turns around, a vulnerable look on his face as he awkwardly clutches at his orange juice. “Steve,” he says slowly, his voice shaky. “I’m gay.”

Steve carefully puts his spoon down and gives Bucky a long look. For a fleeting moment, he wonders if it’s a horribly timed joke. He knows it’s not, though, not with the pained expression on Bucky’s face, clearly waiting for a response.

“Shit,” Steve says stupidly. He shakes his head. “I mean, that’s cool.”

Bucky’s eyebrows shoot up. “ _Cool_?”

And, yeah, that wasn’t Steve’s best response. He’s never had anyone come out to him, though, let alone his best friend who he’s always thought was straight. He wants to ask a million questions (half of which could possibly be considered offensive) and maybe sit and contemplate how he’s somehow missed it for so long. Bucky’s been chasing skirts ever since Steve could remember, and it had to have only been a couple weeks ago he had been on a date with a girl from his poly sci class.

Steve hates the way Bucky looks so stiff and worried, though. “I’m sure he’s still going to think you’re a dork,” Steve finally says, hoping to ease the tension.

It works because Bucky smiles then, heaving out a relieved sigh.

“And I’ll take a baseball bat to him if he tries anything.”

“Of course you will, buddy,” Bucky hums, taking a sip of his orange juice.

***

After that, they don’t really talk about it.

Bucky goes on three dates with three guys, all of which he ends up hating. During one, Bucky even texts Steve to call him and make up an excuse to why Bucky has to leave immediately. Steve is happy to be that guy for Bucky, though, and he always asks him how his dates went like he used to. They all go horribly, though, and Steve mostly feels bad for the guy.

It doesn’t last long, though, because after coming home from the fourth disastrous date, Bucky flops onto the couch and says, “I’m not going on anymore dates.”

Steve raises an eyebrow at him as he pauses the movie he was watching.

“I don’t even want a boyfriend,” he says, leaning his head on the back of the couch and closing his eyes.

Steve laughs at him. “You’re just figuring that out now?”

Steve hasn’t had a girlfriend since the last year of high school, and he hasn’t exactly been in a rush to find a new one. He's not that skinny, sick kid he used to be before he hit puberty, so he would have no trouble finding a girl. Bucky’s never even been in a serious relationship (which, in retrospect, makes sense) so neither of them can really testify to the benefits of a solid relationship.

“Maybe,” he says quietly, head still tipped back. He opens his eyes and stares at the ceiling when he goes, “Think I kind of just wanna fuck around.”

“Oh,” Steve hums, voice choked.

Before, when it was just Bucky going on dates and telling Steve tales of weird dinner talk or the fumbling of deciding who gets to pay, it was funny. Now, though, Steve is honest to god thinking about Bucky sleeping around with guys and that’s…that’s _something_.

The thing is, Steve is not homophobic. When Bucky came out he was happy for him and nothing was weird between them. When Bucky went on dates, Steve helped him get ready and poured him a shot before he left to calm his nerves. He’s not homophobic, but he wonders if the uncomfortable feeling in his chest is.

“Might get Grindr,” Bucky says now, eyeing Steve curiously, like he’s waiting for a reaction. “Heard it’s mostly for hookups, anyways.”

Steve nods. “You should.”

Unexpectedly, Bucky pulls his phone out of his pocket. “I’m going to.” Then, he looks up to Steve and carefully adds, “Help me set up my profile.”

After a half hour of arguing, a half hour impromptu photo-shoot, and twenty minutes of second-guessing, they finally finish the profile. It’s carefully put together, and Steve makes sure that Bucky doesn’t undersell himself, and even prompts Bucky to take to take his shirt off for one of the photos (because the guy has abs, and gay guys _have_ to be into that, Steve tells himself).

It’s only a few minutes after the profile is public when Bucky starts getting messages.

“Holy shit.” Bucky covers his mouth his hand and lets out a nervous laugh.

Steve, alarmed, hurries back to the couch and looks to see what’s on the screen. It’s a dick.

“It’s only been five minutes,” Bucky says, shaking his head in disbelief.

Bucky is still looking at the dick pic, and Steve feels that feeling again that he tries to tell himself is not homophobia. He supports his friend. “Well,” Steve says. “It’s not a bad dick.”

“Yeah, Steve?” Bucky asks, a giant smile on his face. “You think it’s a good dick? Do you want for me to get you his number?”

Steve crosses his arms over his chest. “I was trying to be supportive, you jerk.”

Bucky bursts into laughter and goes back to the screen with the all the guys in the area.

Steve rolls his eyes and helps him look through profiles.

***

It’s only three days later when Bucky causally leans against the doorframe to Steve’s bedroom and goes, “So, how long are you going to be out tonight?”

Buttoning up his shirt, Steve shrugs. “Dunno. You know Sam, he’ll probably want to go to, like, five bars,” he says. “Why? You wanna come along?”

“Uh, no,” Bucky says.

Squinting, Steve looks up to his face to find that he’s actually blushing. Bucky doesn’t blush. Steve quirks an eyebrow at him.

“Well, I was thinking, you know, if you were cool with it too, that I’d have a guy over. But I could always go to his place if you don’t want me to or if you – “

“Buck, of course you can. It’s your apartment, too.” Steve never thought he’d have to give Bucky permission to get laid.

“Oh,” Bucky says quietly. He smiles shyly at Steve. “Sorry, yeah.”

Steve slips his wallet into his back pocket and stands in front of Bucky. “I should get going.”

“Have fun. Say hi to Sam for me.”

“Will do,” Steve says, and then, just to see if he can get Bucky to blush again, he goes, “You have fun too. I probably won’t be back until, like, midnight.”

Bucky doesn’t disappoint as his face goes red again.

“Remember to use a condom,” Steve chides, but then frowns. “I think?”

Bucky looks pained as he nods. “Yeah.”

It’s only then that Steve wonders if Bucky’s even slept with a guy before. It’s none of his business really, but Bucky told him about the his first time sleeping with a girl, and now Steve wonders if he has already and didn’t feel like he could tell Steve about it. Something about that makes Steve feel guilty, even if he couldn’t have helped it.

Steve leaves a couple minutes later, giving Bucky an encouraging thumbs up before heading out to meet Sam at the bar a few blocks over. The night should be fun, and it mostly is, but Steve can’t help but to think about Bucky back at the apartment. Part of him is even worried about the type of guy Bucky could invite over, even if he knows that Bucky is perfectly capable of taking care of himself. Worst of all, though, he absently wonders about what kind of guys Bucky likes, or the two of them literally having sex in Steve’s apartment as he drinks beer a couple blocks over.

By the third beer, Sam notices the way he keeps spacing out. “Dude, what’s up with you?”

Steve feels a little like he’s being caught red-handed. He makes a face as he says, “Bucky’s having a guy over tonight.”

Sam seems amused by this. “Is that why you wanted to hang out? So you could give him time to get laid?”

“God, no,” Steve replies quickly. “He literally asked me tonight if he could have someone over.”

“You don’t want him to at the apartment?”

Steve gives him a confused look. “No. Why wouldn’t I?”

“You’re making a face.”

“It’s just...” Steve huffs, trying to make sure everything comes out right. “I always thought Bucky was straight, but now he’s fucking some random guy he met on a dating app.” Steve pauses then. “Or he’s getting fucked? I don’t really know.”

Sam bursts into laughter, which only makes Steve groan and scrub his face.

“It’s not funny, Sam. I feel like an asshole.”

“You’re just putting way too much thought into this, man,” Sam tells him. “You have to chill out.”

Steve frowns. “Am I being homophobic?”

He still feels like he is, with the niggling feeling in his chest every time he thinks of what Bucky is up to.

Sam shrugs, though. “That’s probably something you should ask him.”

After two more venue changes and a few more beers, Steve and Sam part for the night. It’s a little after midnight, and Steve considers texting Bucky and letting him know he’s coming home, but he stops himself. It’s not like they’ll be having sex in the living room, Steve tells himself. This only makes him cringe, though, and somehow imagine Bucky having sex for the millionth time tonight.

He’s just walked up the stairs towards the apartment door when Steve freezes. Their door is open, and a blond, muscly guy is standing in front of the open doorway and talking to Bucky, who is only in a pair of sweatpants and leaning against the door. Steve scrambles to hide behind the stairs, but peaks out to see the way that Bucky smirks at something the guy says and then shrugs. He can’t hear what they’re saying but he stares intently.

When they finish their conversation, the guy starts walking towards Steve and he has to jump back and casually lean against the wall on his phone. He passes without even giving Steve a second glance, and Steve tries to size him up as he walks away, staring dumbly at the back of his head. He knows it's because he's a little drunk, but he idly thinks that the guy kind of looks like himself. 

After a couple of minutes, Steve finally heads back to the apartment. Inside, the lights in the living room are on and Bucky is lounging on his back on the couch, scrolling through something on his phone. When hears Steve come in, he looks over and smiles at him. His hair is mused and he’s still shirtless, and it takes Steve a few long moments to force his eyes away so he’s not staring. He’s a little drunk, though, and maybe wonders if that guy had tangled his hands in Bucky’s long brown hair.

“Hey,” Bucky says, sitting up. “You have a good time with Sam?”

A little hesitantly, Steve sits down beside him, keeping distance between them. “Yeah. Think he complained about this guy from the VA for, like, two hours,” he says. He gives Bucky an expectant look before he asks, “And you?”

Bucky looks past Steve when he smiles and shrugs. “It was okay.”

“Just _okay_?”

“You want the blow by blow?” Bucky asks, smirking teasingly at Steve.

Steve nearly blanches. “Yeah, no, I’ll pass on that.”

Bucky looks a little disappointed by this, and Steve suddenly feels horrible. God, he’s being an awful friend. He doesn’t want to know the facts, though, and that definitely makes him a horrible person who isn’t supporting his best friend. He even feels a little sick at the thought of Bucky telling him about what went down between the two of them.

“Kinda tired. Think I’m going to go to bed now,” Steve announces, standing up.

Bucky is still looking at him with a strange expression on his face, and it’s making Steve squirm. After a few moments, though, he finally goes, “Night, Steve.”

***

After that, Bucky steadily hooks up with guys. Steve won’t admit it, but he’s grateful that most of them are at the other’s place, so that Steve doesn’t have to endure that awkward way he lets Steve know he’s having someone over.

Steve makes the mistake of reprimanding Bucky one evening. “You know,” he says. “You don’t have to tell me every time. Would you care if I brought a girl around?”

Bucky pauses before answering, which makes Steve wonder if maybe he does. “No. I’d probably put on a pair of headphones, though,” he says, smiling a little.

“Exactly,” Steve says, laughing at him. “It’s no different if it’s a guy.”

This makes Bucky’s face soften. “Thanks,” he says softly, voice full of gratitude.

It makes Steve feel better about the part of him that still is not sure of what to make of Bucky’s sex life. He shouldn’t have an opinion on it at all, but he still somehow is a little annoyed at how much sex he’s having. He wonders if he’s just jealous. Steve hasn’t actually had sex in a couple months. Yeah, he probably needs to get laid. He’s never been a fan of casual sex, though, and he’s doesn’t want to think about trying to meet someone new.

It’s only a couple days later, though, when Steve is up at midnight, desperately trying to cram for a test the next morning when he hears the front door open. Steve has soft music playing from his laptop, but he doesn’t miss the foreign voice that drifts to his room. Steve almost stands up to figure out who Bucky’s invited over, but he catches himself, suddenly remembering what he told Bucky.

He can’t make out what they’re saying, but Steve can tell they’ve moved to Bucky’s room, which is adjacent to Steve’s.

There are a few moments of silence, and Steve tells himself that it doesn’t necessarily need to be sex related. It could always be one of Bucky’s classmates who came over to study. At midnight.

A few more minutes pass, and Steve tries to distractedly do a few flashcards, but he’s snapped out of it when he hears a quiet, muffled moan. Quickly, he’s digging through his drawer for his headphones, but he realizes he must have left them in the living room when he had wrote a paper in there the other day. Silently, he curses himself out for being so stupid. There’s no way he can casually go and grab them now.

What makes it worse is that Steve kind of forgot just how thin the walls are, and he gets to hear the sounds of what must be an intense makeout session. He tries to pay attention the flash cards, but he can hear everything that’s happening in the room over, including Bucky’s soft moans.

He should be happy for Bucky. He’s free to be himself around Steve and their friends now, and he even gets to sleep around easily with the help of his app. Steve is trying to be happy for him, but it’s hard for Steve when he can hear Bucky’s low groan as he’s trying to study.

To his surprise, Steve is even a little angry at Bucky. He shouldn’t be, especially after specifically giving Bucky permission to have guys around whenever he wants. Steve’s still angry, though, that Bucky is doing god knows what in the room right next to his, and Steve even vaguely wants to childishly bang on the wall and get the guy to leave.

He doesn’t, though, and instead flops on his bed and tries his best to ignore the noises. He hates himself more because despite the ugly feelings, he still manages to get hard, which is a whole new level of fucked up that Steve doesn’t want to think about.

***

Steve and Bucky resolutely don’t talk about that night, and Steve makes sure to always have a pair of headphones in his bedroom after that. There’s never a true way to get over knowing what your best friend sounds like when he’s coming, though, and Steve has to live with that.

Steve spends the next month either always slightly irritated at Bucky or feeling guilty for being irritated at him. He can’t even talk to Bucky about it because the last thing he wants to do is make it sound like he isn’t supportive. So, Steve’s stuck feeling like shit.

He almost forgets about it for a while during finals with how stressed he is, but then he is reminded of his horrible feelings when they decide to have a party with all their friends that turns out to be bigger than either of them expected. The tiny apartment is cramped with people, some of which neither of them know, but everyone seems happy and like they’re having a good time.

Steve’s not drunk yet, but he is buzzed, and he’s talking to Natasha and Sam, telling the story about how he broke his arm when he was ten when he stops abruptly. Over Sam’s shoulder he can see Bucky on the couch with another guy. He could’ve sworn they were just having a casual conversation seconds ago, but now they’re making out, and Bucky’s nearly in his lap, and the guy has his hands tangled in Bucky’s hair.

“Steve?” Sam asks, waving his hand in front his face.

Blinking, Steve feels his face get hot. “Sorry, yeah.”

Sam and Natasha turn around to look over to where Steve had been looking. Bucky’s hands are twisted in the guy’s shirt now. Steve awkwardly clears his throat and wipes his sweaty hands on his jeans. He has that feeling in his chest again and he downs his drink, hoping it will make it go away.

“Bucky’s getting around, huh?” Natasha says, smirking at Steve.

Steve nods enthusiastically. “So many guys,” he exclaims. “Wait, I don’t mean it like that. I mean, it’s cool. He can do what he wants, I just – ”

“Steve, calm down, man,” Sam says, laughing. “We know what you mean.”

Natasha gives him a strange look. “You’re cool with it, right?”

Taking a glance back to the couch, Steve sees that Bucky is definitely in this guy’s lap now. Steve tries not to get angry, but he doesn’t know anything about this guy. Steve thinks it’s incredibly unlikely that he’s good enough to even put his hands on Bucky. “I do,” Steve says quietly. “Like, I accept him. Obviously. It’s just sometimes…”

“Are you still worried you’re being homophobic?” Sam asks.

Natasha scoffs, clearly amused.

“It’s not funny,” Steve groans. “I think I might be. A little. I mean, I love Bucky, okay? I do. But, like, right now, he’s just making out with this random guy right on our couch. And he has guys over to the apartment a lot. And I get this feeling sometimes where I’m angry at him and I don’t know why.” Steve groans and hides his face into Natasha shoulder. “I’m an awful person, you guys.”

The two of them are quiet for a moment, and Steve was kind of expecting them to at least try to make him feel better about himself. When he looks up, they’re exchanging glances.

“Steve, what do you mean you get angry at him?” Natasha asks curiously.

He throws up his hands in frustration. “I don’t know. Sometimes I get angry at him for sleeping with guys, I guess.”

“But you’re still supportive of him?”

“Yes, of course I am. I have no problem with him sexuality, I swear.”

Natasha nods slowly and her and Sam exchange another look.

“Steve,” she says carefully. “Have you ever thought that maybe _you_ want to sleep with Bucky?”

His mouth falls open and he’s stuttering when he chokes out, “What the – _Natasha_! No! Bucky is my best friend and I’m not. _You know_.”

“Really, Steve?” Natasha crosses her arms over chest and gives him a hard look.

Panicking a little, Steve looks over to Sam, who is more or less giving him the same look.

“You guys,” he says, voice unnaturally high. “I think I would know if I wanted to sleep with Bucky.”

Sam shrugs. “If you say so.”

“I would know if I was jealous – “ Steve abruptly stops himself and looks back to the couch to find that Bucky and the guy have disappeared, most likely to his bedroom. He suddenly feels a little sick. “Oh my god. Am I jealous of those guys?”

They don’t actually laugh in Steve’s face, but it’s obvious that they’re trying really hard not to.

***

It makes more sense the more Steve thinks about it.

It’s not exactly the first time Steve’s been attracted to a guy, but before he didn’t think too hard about it because he was so clearly attracted to women. Now, though, Steve embarrassingly realizes that he has an unmistakable attraction for Bucky. He likes his toned arms, and his long hair, and his pale blue eyes, and his dry humor. Really, he realizes he likes everything about Bucky, and that he kind of wants to kiss hickeys into his neck.

Realizing he’s into Bucky is the easy part, really. Once he knows, he knows but he doesn’t know what to do with the information. It’s not like he can tell Bucky he’s been jealous of all the guys he’s been sleeping with or casually ask Bucky if he wants to have sex with him.

He does try, though.

One night, when Bucky comes back home from some guy’s house, hair pulled up in a sloppy bun and his lips bright red, Steve sits next to him on the couch and casually goes, “So, how was he?”

Bucky smirks and Steve tries not to stare. “Pretty good,” he hums, leaning back into the couch.

“Yeah?”

“Yup.”

Steve can’t look him in the face when he nervously goes, “You can tell me about it.”

“You really want to hear about it?” Bucky asks. He’s still smirking, but looks genuinely curious.

Steve tries to make it look nonchalant when he shrugs.

He doesn’t say anything for a few moments, but then he huffs out a disbelieving laugh. “Okay, sure,” he says. “He’s actually not from Brooklyn, but he was here ‘on business’ so he wanted to have a quick fuck before leaving. And I like that because then I probably won’t ever see him again.”

Nodding along, like he understands casual sex, Steve listens further.

“But, yeah, he was staying at this nice hotel and he had a pretty good dick so I was like, well, I guess.” He laughs at himself and then continues, “So, I, uh, I sucked his dick.”

Steve must be blushing pretty hard because Bucky burst in laugher when he chances a glance over. Steve crosses his arms over his chest and rolls his eyes, feeling a little embarrassed. “Okay, you sucked his dick. Then what?”

“Feel like I’m having phone sex or something,” Bucky says. “After that, though, I let him fuck me. He was good, too. Kinda had a thing for choking, though, and it’s not that I’m not into it’s just I don’t really want to do that with a stranger, you know what I mean?”

His brain stops working for a few moments, but he barely manages to nod. Sure, he doesn’t want to be choked by a stranger but it would be different if they knew him. _Okay_. Steve is perfectly fine with this knowledge. He realizes then that he’s sweating.

“Beside that, though, it was good. Not the best, but good.”

The only thing Steve can get out of his mouth is, “Cool.”

“Anyways, I should go take a shower,” Bucky tells him, standing up from the couch and stretching, his arms above his head and his shirt exposing a sliver of skin above his belt. Steve tries to control himself, but he can’t quite keep himself from looking. “I think I still have his jizz on me.”

“Good talk,” Steve says absently.

Bucky barks out a laugh. “Sure, Steve.”

Steve is so fucked, and not in the way that he wants to be.

***

Unexpectedly, Bucky stops hooking up with guys for a while. Instead, he stays home on Friday nights and watches Discovery Channel documentaries with Steve or goes out to bars with him and Sam. It helps Steve from thinking about the problem at hand, but also only makes him realize he wants more than just sex from Bucky.

It’s only when Steve is curled up into Bucky on the couch that he suddenly realizes he’s in love with him. He’s not sure how he’s missed it for this long, but it suddenly seems so obvious. He loves him. It seems absurd for a few moments, but eventually Steve pushes closer and thinks, _of course I’m in love with Bucky_. He’s the best guy he’s ever met and they’ve had each other’s backs since forever.

He doesn’t know how to tell him, though, so he says nothing.

It goes well until it doesn’t.

They’ve just gotten home from a night out with Sam. Steve’s drunk, and if he had to guess, he’d say Bucky is too. They sway into the front door and fall into the couch still laughing about something Sam said.

Steve leans into Bucky and wraps his arms around his torso. “You smell good,” he murmurs into Bucky’s shoulder. He knows he should go about this better, and definitely not while they’re drunk, but he can’t help himself; Bucky really does smell good.

“Well, it must be hard have a friend who’s solid nine,” Bucky jokes, his hand now lightly carding through Steve’s hair. Steve leans into the touch.

“A ten,” Steve mutters into his chest.

“Huh?”

“You’re a ten, Buck,” Steve tells him knowingly. “I’d bang you.”

Bucky laughs, leaning down to kiss the crown of Steve’s head. “Course you would.”

Steve sits up and takes a big gulp of air. “I’m serious,” he says slowly.

“Steve,” Bucky starts, a confused smile on his face.

Steve cuts him off with his lips, though. He pulls Bucky forward with the collar of his shirt and finally kisses him. It’s just as great as he hoped it would be. Bucky kisses back after a confused beat, and his hand grips the back of Steve’s neck, thumb rubbing gently into his skin.

It ends abruptly, though, when Bucky pulls back, his hands now on Steve’s chest as he pushes him away.

“We’re drunk,” Bucky says quietly. “ _You’re_ drunk.”

“Still want you,” Steve tells him, placing a hand on Bucky’s leg.

Bucky brushes his hand away and stands, crossing his arms over his chest. He sounds dejected when he goes, “You won’t want this later. I know you’re curious and you think you want this now, but I don’t want to fuck things up between us.”

Steve stares at him, mouth parted, but unsure of what to even say.

“I’m going to go to bed. Night, Steve,” Bucky says, not even giving Steve a chance to figure out what to say.

***

The next morning, Steve stays in his bedroom for as long as he can before he’s forced out to go to the bathroom. Once he’s finished, Bucky is sitting at the kitchen table with a textbook open and the end of a highlighter in his mouth as he reads.

Cautiously, he makes himself some coffee. Bucky keeps reading until Steve’s cup is finished. He looks up at him and gives him a small smile. “How you feeling?”

“Fine,” he mutters, gripping his warm mug. “All things considered.”

Bucky’s shoulder drop and he leans back in his chair, capping his highlighter. “Look, Steve, I know you were drunk last night. I’ll just forget about it. It’s not big deal.”

Steve wants to take the out that Bucky is giving him. He wants to nod and finish his coffee and hope that things aren’t awkward between them for much longer. And maybe he should, but he doesn’t. Instead, he shakes his head and puts his coffee down on the counter.

“Buck, I think I’m in love with you,” he confesses. “For a long time I thought I was being a horrible friend and was being homophobic but then I realized – or really Sam and Natasha realized – I was just really jealous of all the guys you slept with. But then I realized I had a crush on you, too, on top of already wanting to sleep with you.” Steve laughs nervously, knowing that he’s babbling at this point. “I didn’t know how to bring it up, though, and if you want to cut me off anytime soon would be perfect.”

Bucky looks shocked, but smiles at him. “I was going to see how long you could go.”

“That’s kind of mean to do to a guy that’s vomiting out his feelings for you.”

“It probably is, considering I’ve kind of loved that guy for a while now.”

Steve can’t help but to smile widely at that. “A while?”

“Maybe.” Bucky shrugs, a soft smile on his face. “Probably.”

“And does that mean I get to kiss you again?”

“Maybe.” Bucky stands up, crossing the room to stand in front of Steve. He smirks devilishly when he goes, “Probably.”

Steve rolls his eyes before pulling him in for a kiss.


End file.
